Former UFC champ Anderson Silva has rod inserted into broken left leg

Challenger Anderson Silva grimces in pain after breaking his leg during his fight against Champion Chris Weidman in an attempt to regain the Middleweight Championship during UFC 168 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Saturday, December 28, 2013. Weidman won due to injury to Silva. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)

Challenger Anderson Silva grimces in pain after breaking his leg during his fight against Champion Chris Weidman in an attempt to regain the Middleweight Championship during UFC 168 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Saturday, December 28, 2013. Weidman won due to injury to Silva. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)

LAS VEGAS -- Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva underwent succesful surgery after he broke his left leg in a shocking and gruesome finish during Saturday night’s main event at UFC 168 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Zuffa, LLC, the owner of the UFC, released a statement Sunday morning saying Silva was taken to a local Las Vegas hospital where Dr. Steven Sanders, the UFC’s orthopedic surgeon, inserted an intramedullary rod into Anderson’s left tibia to stabilize his broken fibula.

Silva’s left leg snapped when he attempted a leg kick on UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who raised his leg to block it and checked it with his knee. Weidman was declared the winner via TKO because of the injury, which caused the fight to be stopped.

The Brazilian legend and Redondo Beach resident will stay in the hospital “for a short while” and no further surgery is expected. The statement said a recovery for such an injury could take up to six months.

With Silva turning 39 in April, speculation has already begun whether the man regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in UFC history might be done in the Octagon.

“Anderson is deeply touched by the outpouring of support from his fans and the entire MMA community,” the Zuffa statement said. “There has been no immediate decision about his future, and he would kindly ask for privacy at this time as he deals with his injury and prepares to return home to recover.”

Silva was attempting to avenge his first UFC defeat when Weidman knocked him out in July at UFC 162. Prior to that, Silva had won a UFC record 16 consecutive fights and had defended his 185-pound belt an unprecedented 10 times.